1. Figures are for reported net current expenditure in 2002–03. Amounts are rounded to the nearest £ million. The sum of the individual countries does not equal the Great Britain total due to rounding.

2. Figures for England are provided by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of administering council tax benefit payments in(a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years. [177186]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the value was of council tax benefit payments made in(a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years; [177187]

(2) what the value was of council tax benefit payments made in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of council tax benefit unclaimed in each of those years. [177188]

The information requested about the total amount of unclaimed council tax benefit is not available below national level. Estimates of the total amount of council tax benefit unclaimed at a national level can be found in a series of DWP reports entitled: "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". The latest publication relates to financial year 2001–02; copies of this and previous reports are available from the Library.

The value of council tax benefit payments made in each London borough and greater London as a whole, from 1998–99 to 2002–03 is in the table.

1. All expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million and therefore may not add up to the total greater London expenditure.

2. Expenditure figures for 1998–99 to 2001–02 are final outturn figures supplied by local authorities in 'final audited' subsidy claims. The figures for 2002–03 are the latest available estimated outturn figures, provided by local authorities in their 'initial final' subsidy claims, and are subject to revision in the final audited' claims.

3. Figures are total yearly amounts paid to beneficiaries, regardless of the source of funding, and includes payments subsidised by DWP, those funded through local authorities housing revenue accounts, spending financed by the National Asylum Support Service, and benefit spending financed from local authorities' general funds.